


I'm Never Gonna Leave This Bed

by TimmyJaybird



Series: Show Me the Meaning (Of Being Lonely) [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Anal, Budding Relationship, Fluff, Implied/Past TimBart, M/M, Masturbation, Oral, Rimming, implied KonCassie, slight onesided DickDami, slight onesided JayTim, so much fluff at times you won't know what to do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-10-28
Packaged: 2018-04-28 13:18:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5092238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimmyJaybird/pseuds/TimmyJaybird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They have a lot to talk about, but Tim is still unsure if he has the words to tell Damian just what worries him about what's growing between them- and what he wants from it. But he is sure of one thing: he should have never left. And if it's up to him, he never will again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Never Gonna Leave This Bed

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn't supposed to be this long... I don't know what happened... but anyway, sorry about the delay getting it finished up, I was away from my laptop for a few days!

Tim stretched his legs out, getting an elbow in his side from Kon as he nearly knocked over his friend’s bowl of popcorn. Next to him- or, if Tim was honest, _behind_ him, as he was leaning completely against his side- Cassie laughed, quietly- sleepy.

“How the hell do you take up so much space?” Kon asked, grabbing the bowl and passing it next to him. Bart took it excitedly, ready to finish it off. Tim shrugged, as Cassie hooked her arm around him, offering up a one armed hug as the movie’s end credits picked up on the screen.

“Let him take up as much space as he wants,” she said, “our little _heart broken baby_ gets special treatment for the week.” Kon laughed, and Tim rolled his eyes, sliding down from her side to open flop into her lap.

“In that case,” he said, “do I get the middle of the bed?” He winked, and Kon and Bart both burst out laughing, as Cassie huffed with a smile. She shoved him, and Tim toppled off the couch, onto the floor with a _thud_. He stared up at the ceiling, as Cassie tossed the blanket off her lap over him. He was laughing before it had even properly settled.

_Really laughing_.

“You would manage to crowd us both off it,” Kon pointed out, standing up and stretching, as Cassie clicked the television off. The room darkened, as Tim tossed the blanket off his face. Kon leaned over, pulled him up, as Cassie took up the blanket and tossed it back onto the couch.

“And I am _not_ sleeping on the floor,” Cassie pointed out, “No matter how heart broken you are.”

Tim just grinned at her, and she reached out, tussled his hair.

“I am crashing though. We should all be getting some sleep.” She and Kon walked away from the couch, as Bart headed for the kitchen with the now empty popcorn bowl. “You especially.”

Tim shrugged a shoulder. “I will. I’m not there yet, that’s all.” He smiled, shoved his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants. “Catch you guys in the morning.”

Kon and Cassie nodded, heading off, just as Bart walked back into the room. He hesitated, a few steps away from Tim.

“Do you want company?” He was rubbing the back of his neck, looking down at the floor, and Tim’s smile softened.

“Thanks, but I’m okay. Get some sleep.” Bart glanced up, nodded and gave Tim a cute flash of a smile, before heading off himself.

Leaving Tim completely alone.

He stood there, for a minute, before he headed off to his room, grabbed his laptop bag, his phone from where he’d chucked it well before the movie started on his bed. Back out in the living room, he settled on the couch, tugged the blanket down over his lap, and pulled his computer out. Just because he was away from Gotham didn’t mean he didn’t have work to do- and he didn’t see the harm in that.

It’d been a few days- and if Tim was honest, he felt _better_. So much so it was almost terrifying. Maybe, all he needed, really was a bit of space, to see his friends. Even if these three were the only Titans left at the tower- and soon, it’d be _just Tim_ , as everyone seemed to have made plans to be somewhere for the holidays-

But that was okay too. Tim didn’t mind.

He fired up his computer and unlocked his phone, scrolling through the messages he’d missed. Stephanie had been texting him something fierce since he’d left- stupid things, really. Things that didn’t have to connect to Dick or Jason in anyway- and the constant _how are things?_. He appreciated it, he did. He knew she was trying- he knew she felt _bad_ , over it all.

And he felt bad for the way he had been acting.

Tim left her messages without a reply, scrolling down, another notification flashing. Tim paused, thumb hovering over the unopened message, with Damian’s name attached to it.

He inhaled, then carefully set his phone aside, not opening it. He leaned back, scrubbed his hands up over his face, back into his hair.

For the first two days, he hadn’t spoken to Damian at all. Hadn’t spoken to anyone except Stephanie. Thought maybe it might help him put things into perspective.

But it gnawed at him, leaving Damian the way he did. Part of him, a good half of him that screamed every time he closed his eyes and thought about the youngest robin- was so sure he should have brought him with him. Packed him up and gotten the hell out of Gotham, like they both needed.

And even the other half that didn’t agree stilled berated him for running away. Because, if Tim was honest, that was what he was doing. Running away from it all- and where Dick and Jason were involved, that was all well and good. But Damian? The kid didn’t need that.

Tim had texted him, yesterday- just a simple _how are things?_ It didn’t need to be a conversation- he just wanted to reach out- wanted to make sure Damian was _alright_. He hadn’t heard from him, that whole day. Not until that night, and all he’d gotten was a simple _as expected_ , and he didn’t know how to _read_ that.

 

He didn’t think it was good.

Nor had he known what to say. So, he’d played the coward. He’d said nothing at all, and now, a day later, Damian’s name was blinking on his phone, making his stomach tighten up.

He’d come here to get away, to _think_. But he hadn’t thought about Jason, except when he’d explained proeprly to his friends what had happened. No, if anything, Damian was the one in his head now, clouding everything else.

Hell, Damian was the reason Tim hadn’t asked Bart to keep him company. Was the reason Tim hadn’t bothered to follow Stephanie’s whole _get laid_ suggestion. Wouldn’t have been the first time he’d crawled into bed with Bart, and neither of them held much merit to it- they both knew they were just friends. There wasn’t the gray area-

_Like with Damian_.

But when Bart had given him that first look- the silent question of _do you want to_ , Tim couldn’t even imagine kissing him. Felt like it was just another betrayal, just another way to let Damian down.

He sighed, reached for his phone again, finally opening the message. A simple _are you up?_ Sent about twenty minutes ago. Okay, at least Tim hadn’t kept him waiting half the night. He glanced at the time- it was after midnight, and frowned-

Shouldn’t he be on patrol? Tim figured if Bruce was going to take his advice- to keep an eye on his youngest- he’d be keeping him _busy_.

Tim licked his lips, responded with _yeah, I’m up_ and sent the message along. For all he knew Damian might have waited five minutes and crashed himself. He set his phone aside, opening up the program he was working on and glancing over it. He was scrolling through the latest code he’d adjusted, when his phone began buzzing, rhythmically.

He glanced at it. _Incoming call_. Tim hesitated, before he picked it up, glanced at Damian’s name again, inhaled-

Answered. “Hey.”

“Father has benched me from patrol.”

Well, so that would explain why he was home. “Yeah?” Tim continued to scroll through the code- felt like he needed to keep his mind split. “You okay?”

“I broke a man’s arm.”

That had Tim paused. “You-“

“He _deserved_ it. But father feels I was...excessive. That I am not in my right mind.” He sighed, and before Tim could even speak up, “Grayson spoke with me.”

And that was it- that was all Tim needed. And he knew that _as expected_ was probably worse than he could have hoped for. “Shit, Damian... are you okay?”

There was silence, as Tim leaned back, ignoring his laptop completely. “Do you want the truth?”

“Yes, of course I do.”

Damian sighed. “No.” The fact that he’d admit it- that had Tim’s head spinning. And he knew, _he knew_ he shouldn’t have left him. “But I don’t want to discuss it.”

“Okay. We don’t have to. But, if you want to...well. I’ve got working ears.” He smiled. “So you’re stuck in for the night then?”

“I am stuck in until, as father put it, I learn to control my emotions and separate them from the job at hand.” Tim rolled his eyes. Good old Bruce. “And I’m _bored_.”

“Boredom leads to thinking,” Tim filled in, “I get it.”

He heard Damian exhale, slowly. Wondered if it worried him, how well Tim understood. _Because it worried Tim_. “Am I interrupting anything?”

“Not really. Just some work. But it’s really okay-“

“Can I stay?” Damian’s voice was softer, not _meek_ because Tim could never picture Damian as such- but getting close. “I... I have missed your voice, Drake.”

That had Tim’s stomach going up in knots. “Yeah, of course. I don’t even need to work on it, Damian. Really.” He glanced at his laptop, the curser blinking where he had left it in the code. “It’s not as important.”

“No, it’s fine. Talk me through it.” Tim smiled at that.

“Get comfortable then, I might bore you to sleep.” He heard Damian chuckle, and reached over, fumbling around in his bag for his head set. “Gimme just one second.” He set his phone down, hooking it up and settling it snugly over his ear. “Better, sorry. Need my hands for this.”

“I was unaware it was _that_ sort of conversation, Drake.”

Tim snorted, reaching up to cover his mouth, to keep from laughing too loudly. “Fucking hell I think I missed you too.” Somehow, in Damian’s chuckle, he knew he was smiling. “Now lay back and let me lay some programming on you.” Tim clicked down through his program, heard Damian shifting around- could picture him curling up under a blanket, knew exactly the shape his body made beneath it. Knew how it felt, pressed up against his.

He _missed_ Damian, and he was being honest with himself, tonight.

“It’s basically a worm I’ll be installing in the GCPD network, once it’s done,” Tim started, “it’ll filter through all their reports- and I mean _all_ of them. It will flag ones that fit a criteria we deem as _suspicious_ , and send a copy straight to our network. They’ll be filed, with three levels of possible security issues- color scheme. Yellow, orange, and red- boring, I know. Never said I was creative.” Tim smiled to himself. “Anyway, they’ll be filed so we can examine them when time allows. And this way, anything that could be a serious risk we’ll be able to view quickly, instead of wading through all the files.”

“And who is deciding on the filters you’re using?” Tim’s smile grew. Damian was actually _listening_.

“Well, for the moment I am. I’ll be open to input, of course- to make sure things don’t get missed, and that we don’t end up with just trash we don’t need to waste our time on. But it should be easier than filtering all the files to our network- or wading through and searching as need be. Even with contacts in the GCPD, it’s easy to miss a report.”

Damian yawned, and Tim couldn’t keep the sweet smile off his face.

“Putting you to sleep?”

“Not because you are dull,” Damian offered, “I have not been sleeping well.” Tim’s smile fell away, and he wanted to be there, to wrap around Damian. He’d slept, every night Tim had been in his bed. “Drake-“

“If you nod off, it’s alright.” Tim leaned back again, staring up at the dark ceiling. “I’ll talk to you until you’re asleep, Damian.”

He heard Damian sigh, heard him shifting more. And then, quietly, “Thank you.”

Tim smiled. “Anytime kid.” He smiled, for a moment, for a brief moment because he felt stupidly warm inside, giddy in his belly, because Damian was trusting him- and moments like these, it was like there weren’t years of bad blood behind them. Like it was just all _alright_.

Tim leaned forward again, clicking back through his code.

“So, let me tell you all about the sequence of coding I’m about to add...”

*

Tim stretched, his face pressed into his pillow. He was on his belly, kicked his blankets half off as his toes curled. He groaned, squeezed his eyes shut, before turning his head, blinking once. His room was blissfully dimmed- thank god for dark curtains- and the clock on his nightstand read after nine.

He hadn’t been asleep _that_ long.

He yawned, pushed himself up. Damian’s voice had stopped close to two AM, his breathing going slow- and Tim knew he’s fallen asleep. He’d crawled into bed himself sometime around three.

He swung his legs over the side of his bed, stumbled up and out of his room, heading downstairs, towards the kitchen. He was hungry, but that could be ignored- his first priority was coffee. He was rubbing one eye when he stepped in, found Cassie holding her own mug, leaning against the counter.

“Morning sleeping beauty,” she offered, reaching back and grabbing a mug. She set it down and Tim gravitated towards it, mumbling his thanks as he poured it full of coffee. “When did you go to bed?”

“Around three,” Tim said, lifting his now sweetened coffee and taking a sip.

“What the hell were you doing until three?” Tim was quiet for a second, and Cassie added, “Unless Bart was involved, then I don’t really need specifics-“

“Relax, it’s not what you think.” Tim took another sip, let the coffee warm his throat. “I’ve been an angle since I’ve been here, you know.”

She laughed. “Right, okay.”

“ _I have_.” He took another sip. “And I was up working. Almost done with a program we need for the Cave. Plus, Damian called me.”

“Oh. How is the kid?” While Tim hadn’t divulged any of he and Damian’s _activities_ to his friends, he had explained his situation within the ordeal. And even if the Titans had never had a particularly soft spot for the youngest robin, Tim knew they at least held some sympathy for him.

“Not good.” Tim sighed. “I shouldn’t have left him. I should’ve brought him with me or something.”

“He’s not your responsibility,” Cassie pointed out, turning and refilling her mug. She reached for the sugar as she continued. “I know you guys are going through the same thing, but you’ve gotta take care of yourself.”

“It’s complicated,” Tim added, “You don’t get it.”

“Well, enlighten me.” She turned, leaning against the counter again. Sipped at her coffee and stared at Tim with eyes that were _so hard to lie to_.

And really, why did he need to lie to her? To the Titans? They were separate from the family. He lowered his mug, saying rather quietly, “I’m sleeping with him, Cassie.”

She nearly dropped her mug. “You’re...you’re _what_ now?”

“We were drunk,” Tim added, “...the first time. I don’t know. I just didn’t want to deal with the whole Jason thing, he didn’t want to think about Dick... we downed a bottle of whiskey and it just sort of _happened_.”

“A one off doesn’t mean you’re _actively_ sleeping with someone.” Tim was quiet, and Cassie set her mug down. “Oh god, it wasn’t just once, was it?”

“I stayed with him almost the whole next day. We weren’t drunk in the shower, I can tell you that much.” Tim set his own mug aside, reaching up to rake a hand through his hair. “And then he showed up at my room a few days later, set off because of Dick- and we weren’t _wasted_ that time. Hell, it was only a buzz. I can’t blame anything for that one except myself.” Tim shook his head. “So, it’s complicated. It’s _really_ complicated.” Tim tipped his head back, felt a pressure building behind his eyes. “He called me last night, asked me to talk to him until he fell asleep. Said he missed my voice.”

When he lifted his head, Cassie was looking at him, studying him.

“What?”

“Don’t get mad,” she started, “But...are you _just_ sleeping with him? Because- hold on, hear me out. Because every time you sleep with Bart, you don’t look like this.”

“Look like what?”

“Like you hate yourself- and want nothing more than to run right out of this tower. Back to him, I assume.” Tim sighed, his shoulders sagging.

“I feel _good_ with him, Cassie. And not just because the sex is good- and fuck, _it is_.” For a moment, Tim grinned, before it fell away. “But like...I don’t know. He curls up against me and I just want to stay in bed all day. He smiles and I feel like a fucking _schoolgirl_. Don’t get me started on when that smile hits his eyes.”

Cassie nodded, tapped her long nails against the counter. “Tim...” He glanced up at her. “Honey, you’re crushing. _Hard_.”

If she expected him to glare, to lash out, to tell her wrong- she would be disappointed. All Tim did was hang his head, reach up and press the heels of his hands against his eyes. And, in a broken whine, offer up, “I know.”

Cassie moved away from the counter, reaching up and squeezing his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay.” He glanced up, and she tugged him in, held him against her. Tim wrapped his arms around her, clung to her and buried his face in her soft hair as she stroked the knots of his spine. “I’m not going to blame you.”

“I _can’t_ , Cassie. It’s not fair to him.” She frowned.

“How so?”

“I’m not over Jason. _I know that_. And he’s...he’s working through his feelings for Dick. The last thing I need is to drag him through hell as a rebound.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to hurt him, Cassie.”

She rubbed along his spine one more time, before forcing him to straighten, reaching out and taking his face in her hands.

“Timmy, _Timmy_. Hey, look at me.” He glanced at her, and she offered him a smile. “How about you don’t worry about that right now. Because _you_ might think he’s a rebound now, but you might be wrong.”

“I might be right.”

“Still. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go for it. Even if it doesn’t last- if it’s good while it’s good, that’s what counts. Besides...maybe that’s what he needs too. Something to show him the world didn’t just end- that there’s more out there than Dick Grayson.” She stroked Tim’s cheek. “Be honest with him Timmy. Don’t make the decision for him- let the boy have you if he wants you. Because _you_ obviously want him.”

Tim was quiet for a moment, and Cassie pulled back, reaching for her mug of coffee.

“Think about it,” she offered, giving him a final smile and leaving the kitchen. Tim reached for his coffee, taking a sip- then another, until he was downing half the mug, hoping the caffeine might rewire his brain, connect it to some sort of courage he felt he was lacking.

Maybe Cassie was right. Maybe it didn’t matter what this was, that he should just dive in. Maybe he was _wrong_ and it might linger, might stick around in his ribs, keep Damian under his skin.

Tim took his coffee back to his room, left his mug on his nightstand and curled back up with his phone. He stared at Damian’s name, until the phone went dark, and he had to unlock it again. Rinse, repeat, until he was finally exhaling, clicking on his name, listening to it ring. He was sure it would go to voice mail, that Damian wouldn’t pick up-

Until the line clicked to life, and after a moment a _very sleepy_ “hello?”

“Hey, I woke you up, didn’t I?” Damian yawned.

“Perhaps.”

“Why’d you answer?”

“I saw it was you.” Another yawn, and Tim felt his heart skipping a beat. “I will chance waking up for you, Drake.”

“I’m _flattered_ , babybat.” He heard Damian chuckle, breathy, and he knew he was smiling. That charming, sleepy smile- the kind Tim simply wanted to kiss. “How did you sleep?”

“Surprisingly well.” He heard Damian shifting, could picture him stretching. “It would be better with you here, though.”

Tim exhaled, shaky. “Damian-“

“Please, do not start to lecture me on this, Drake-“

“No, no, I’m not. I just...” he inhaled, slowly. “I miss you. I meant it, last night. I miss you.” Tim rolled onto his back, stared up at the ceiling. “I shouldn’t have left you. It was selfish and _stupid_. I just needed to get away, needed to think about some things.”

“And have you done that?”

“I have. With a little help from a friend, I have.” Tim smiled to himself. “I’m sorry.”

Damian hummed. “You do not need to apologize for taking care of yourself, Drake. I’m not a child.”

“Oh, _I know_.”

“-tt- I would kiss you, for that insinuation.” Tim choked, felt himself grinning, his cheeks beginning to burn.

“Would you now?” A quiet _mhm_ , and Tim reached up, twirled some of his hair around a finger. “You owe me one, now.”

“Come home, and you can have it.” And there it was- what Tim was waiting for, what he wanted to hear Damian say. What he _needed_ to hear Damian say.

“Do you want me to come home, Damian?”

Damian was quiet, for a moment, as if he was thinking. Mulling his words over carefully. When he did speak, it was soft- softer than Tim had expected. “Yes...I want you to come home, Drake.”

“Okay.” Tim exhaled, slowly. “Okay. Everyone will be leaving the tower soon anyway, and I’m not sure I want to be here alone. I’ll...I’ll come home.”

“Only if you’re ready. You left for a reason, I would not-“

“Damian, _hush_. It’s okay.” Tim swallowed, thought about how he could be curled up with Damian, in that moment. Could have his warm palms pressing along his waist, over his spine. His lips fluttering kisses along Tim’s cheeks, his jaw. “I want to come home.”

And it wasn’t a lie.

*

Tim gripped the steering wheel tightly, heard the leather of his gloves shift with each movement. He could see the gate to the Manor, in the distance. Had pictured it, the entire drive. It was dark- he had left the tower later than he’d meant to- had taken longer to say his goodbyes. Had spent longer tossing his bags into his car-

Because he felt strangely nervous. Like perhaps Damian would have changed his mind, wouldn’t be as excited to see him-

Nervous more, perhaps, over how badly he just wanted to see him. How badly he _needed_ to be in Damian’s presence again.

He sucked on his lip, pulled past the gate, along the curves drive towards the manor. Once he had his car in park, he sat there for a moment, taking a deep breath-

He felt like a child, on his first date. Felt like he wasn’t sure what to expect, behind those doors. It was ridiculous, and yet- Tim almost didn’t care.

He killed the engine, barely had his door open when the manor door was being shoved open. He stood up, watched Damian descending the few steps quickly- before taking off in a run, through the falling snow, as Tim managed to close his door, just in time to have Damian rush up to him, press up against him with enough force that Tim was falling back against the door.

He laughed, breathy, as Damian wrapped his arms around him, leaning down and pressing his face into the bulk of Tim’s scarf. Tim returned the embrace, gloved fingers working through Damian’s short hair. “Hey,” he whispered, turning his head, kissing Damian’s temple. “This is a welcome I could get used to.”

Damian straightened up, stared at him for a moment, before reaching up, fisting his hands in Tim’s scarf and pulling him in. His mouth was warm- a fire Tim remembered so well, one he melted into, as Damian tilted his head. The glide of his lips was a sort of heaven, and Tim clutched at his biceps, gloved hands on bare skin, squeezing gentle as Damian’s body boxed him in so sweetly against his car.

When Damian pulled back, exhaled against Tim’s mouth, he could see it in the cold air. Could see the snow flakes sticking to his hair, his eyelashes, could only smile.

“You could have grabbed a jacket,” he chided, teasing, and Damian returned his smile.

“Forgive me, I was a bit...excited.” Tim leaned in, pecked his lips affectionately.

“I can tell. But c’mon, I don’t want you to get sick.” Damian rolled his eyes, but took a step back, let Tim push off the car. He slid past him, opening the back door and grabbing for his bag- which Damian promptly took from him, tossing over his shoulder. Tim arched an eyebrow, but said nothing, grabbing his laptop and shouldering that bag, before shutting the door, following Damian back up towards the house.

He had barely gotten the door shut when he saw Alfred rounding the corner, offering a smile at Tim. “Ah, Master Timothy. I was wondering what the commotion was about. Master Damian flew out that door as if the entire Manor was ablaze.”

“-tt- You’re overreacting, Pennyworth.” Still, Damian wouldn’t look at the man, and Tim could see a little color in his cheeks. He glanced back at Alfred- who had a knowing sort of smile on his face.

“Would you care for some tea, Master Tim? It is cold, and you’ve had a long drive.”

“I will get it for him,” Damian cut in, and Tim glanced back at him. “You do not need to do it.”

Alfred studied Damian for a moment, before giving a nod. “Very well. You boys know where to find me if you need anything.” He turned, heading back to his own tea and paper, leaving Damian to reach for Tim’s gloved hand, taking it and tugging him towards the stairs. Tim followed, bounding up them quickly, turning down the hallway- in the opposite direction of his own room, he noted.

Damian pushed open his own door, and Tim stepped inside, barely turning before the door was shut, and Damian was dropping his bag on the ground. He reached out for Tim, grabbed him by his coat and tugged him in- Damian’s back thudding against the door as Tim fell against him, mouth once again pressed tightly to Damian’s. The teen made a little pleased noise in the back of his throat as Tim’s hands pressed against the door, so close to his body that he could feel Damian’s heat.

“Missed you,” Damian breathed, against his mouth, and Tim shivered, dared to tug at his lip with his teeth playful.

“I can tell,” Tim whispered, smiling softly, kissing the corner of Damian’s mouth. “I think even Alfred could tell.”

Damian blushed, and Tim laughed, taking a step back. He set his laptop bag down carefully, slowly unwrapping his scarf from around his neck.

“Am I not even going to make it to my own room?”

“Do you need to?” Damian asked, watching as Tim tossed his scarf onto his bag, followed by his coat- and finally, his leather gloves. The moment his hands were free Damian was reaching out, taking one and placing his lips to Tim’s fingertips. “I prefer you here...if you are alright with it.”

Tim felt his chest growing tight, and his smile felt like it melted, like it was warm, seeping back into his bones.

“No place I’d rather be,” he admitted- and god, _he meant it_.

*

Tim was settled in Damian’s bed, barely ten minutes later- in his own sweatpants but one of Damian’s tshirts, waiting for the teen to return with the tea he had been promised. Which he had teased Damian about- pointed out that he hoped he could make it as well as Alfred could.

He glanced down at his phone, sitting idly in his heads. He hadn’t told any of the rest of the family that he was coming home. He assumed Alfred would pass the news onto Bruce- but as to anyone else...

Tim decided it could wait, and set his phone aside, on the nightstand, as Damian was letting himself back into the room. He shut the door with his foot, leaning over the bed and passing a mug to Tim. He took it happily, wrapping his fingers around it and sighing at the heat. Damian crawled onto the bed carefully, settling cross legged next to him and cradling his own mug.

“Thank you,” Tim offered, leaning over and pecking his cheek. “You’re a sweetheart.”

“-tt- I would disagree.”

“Well, you have been lately. Nice change from the spoiled brat you used to be.” Tim winked as Damian glared- but the glare never reached his lips, which were stuck in a smile.

Tim took a sip, watching Damian over his mug as he glanced away, before sticking his foot out, making a point to keep his leg brushed up against Damian’s.

“I’m glad you came back,” Damian admitted, gently lowering his mug so that he was cradling it in his lap. He looked down at it, as if he was studying the warm liquid. “I...It was not easy, without you.”

Tim reached over, brushed his warm hand along Damian’s thigh, gave it a gentle squeeze through his sweatpants. “I’m sorry I left,” he offered, “And I know you said I don’t need to be- but I shouldn’t have. At least, not like I did. I just... I needed to clear my head. So much has happened lately.” Damian nodded, and Tim slid closer.

“Can I...” Damian trialed off for a moment, licked his lips. “Can I talk about Grayson?” He glanced up, and Tim nodded.

“Of course. I told you, I’m here if you want to talk.”

Except there was a little coil, in Tim’s belly suddenly. As if he didn’t want to hear what Damian had to say- as if the idea of the teen’s excitement over their oldest brother could set his belly to painful knots, to such an unease that he felt it now, without even knowing what Damian might say.

But the fact that he wanted Damian to talk- wanted to ease this kid’s pain, it overruled any desire to not hear the way his voice might melt a little, saying Dick’s name.

“He lectured me as if I was a child,” Damian said, still not looking up from his tea. “Acted as if nothing was _wrong_ and that my affection had been so misplaced that he simply could not understand it. It... it took every bit of slef control to not hit him, Drake.”

“Well, that I understand.” Damian glanced up- and those jade eyes, the cracks were showing. Tim could see each and every one.

“He kept saying he was my _brother_ , that he...he loved me, but it would never be more than that.” Damian sighed, tightened his hold on his mug, head dropping again. “I know you told him.”

“I’m sorry.” Tim reached back behind him, set his mug on the nightstand. “Damian, really. I am. I... I shouldn’t have. But I was angry, I was angry at him for taking Jason- and more so for hurting _you_. I just needed him to _understand_.” Tim shook his head. “I still shouldn’t have done it, it wasn’t my place.”

“I do not care about that.” Damian shrugged a shoulder, glancing back up. “Truly. What made little sense, however- was how his blatant rejection hurt... less than I expected.” He licked his lips. “It still felt as if there was a sword between my ribs- but only _one_ , instead of the thousand I felt when I first saw him kiss Todd.”

“You’re getting over it,” Tim said, hand finding Damian’s shoulder now. “I’m proud of you.”

Damian rolled his eyes. “I still acted out my anger. I was still _angry_.”

“I said you would be. I meant it. It doesn’t go away over night. None of it does.” Tim’s hand slid along Damian’s back, and then the teen was moving, leaning over, falling against Tim’s chest. He wrapped his arms around him, squeezed tightly as Damian let out a shaky breath.

“I wasn’t just angry, about Grayson,” Damian admitted, pressing his cheek tightly against Tim’s chest, as Tim’s hand moved along his spine. “I was angry that you were gone. I... I was angry I hadn’t asked you to _stay_.” He closed his eyes, as Tim’s other hand worked through his hair, as Tim felt his chest growing tight. “I was angry at myself. I was angry that I was upset about Grayson, but upset about _you_. I... I’m angry without you, Drake.” Carefully, he wrapped his arms around Tim, clutching as if he might fall off the end of the Earth. “I’m...a lot of things without you, Drake. A lot of things I do not like.”

He glanced up, but Tim eased his head back to his chest- cradled him, like Damian was small again. Like he could shield him from the world-

Like he never got the chance to. Like Damian never _let_ him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Damian vulnerable, as he had been over the past week. Wasn’t sure he’d ever been given glimpses of the boy Damian harbored inside himself.

“Damian,” Tim whispered, another stroke along his spine. “I...I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“The truth,” he whispered, hands clutching tighter at Tim. Now, as if he might leave again. “I do not want to be lied to anymore.”

“I thought about you the whole time I was gone.” Truth, faster than Tim had expected. Truth, because Damian deserved nothing _but_ it. “I might have explained what happened with Jason to my friends...but I didn’t think about him. Didn’t even _miss_ him, honestly. But I missed you.” He wrapped his arms around Damian, squeezed him tightly, wanted to melt down into nothing so he could seep right into him, find the connections he felt he was grasping so needily for. “ _God I missed you_.”

He felt a gentle tremor move through Damian, felt each breath he took. “Drake...”

“I’m terrified of this,” Tim admitted, “Whatever is happening. If this had just been _sex_ , if we’d just fucked our anger out... I could deal. But this...this isn’t that.” He felt Damian shake his head, very gently, and Tim squeezed him again. “I don’t want to hurt you, Damian.”

Now Damian was lifting his head, pulling back, so he could look at Tim, stare directly into him as if he was search through every thought Tim had ever had- even the ones deep back in his mind he never registered. “Why would this hurt me?”

“What if... what if we’re just latching out because we don’t know what else to do. What if it’s just a reflex- a rebound. What if-“

Tim cut off when Damian leaned in, kissed him into silence. It was brief, but enough that when Damian pulled back, Tim leaned in, drew it out a moment longer.

“I dislike that word,” Damian admitted, “Nor do I care what course this takes. I just know that I _want_ you, Drake. You...you make this feel alright. You make me forget. If that’s just for a week, so be it. If it’s...longer...I would not complain.”

Tim reached up, stroked his thumb over Damian’s warm cheek. He looked so _young_ , so open for once. It took everything Tim had to keep his hands from shaking.

“We can take it day by day,” Tim agreed, “We don’t have to know what we want. I’m sorry, I just... the last thing I want is to see you hurt again. The last thing _I want_ is to hurt again.” Damian nodded, turned, kissed the ball of Tim’s thumb, then down to his palm. When his lips found his wrist, Tim sighed, before smiling, throwing himself down on his side and dragging Damian down to the bed with him. Damian gave a startled sound, as Tim wrapped his arms around him, tugging him in, back against his chest.

Their legs tangled together, as Damian lifted his head, placed a kiss to Tim’s throat. “I won’t hurt,” Damian offered, “if you never leave this bed.”

Tim choked on his breath for a moment, pressed his face down into Damian’s hair. He inhaled, smelled his shampoo, as his hands clutched at Damian’s back, held onto him for dear life.

There wasn’t a force in the entire galaxy that could’ve moved Tim, in that moment. There was no other place he’d rather be, than wrapped up around Damian.

*

“ _Drake_ , can you not comprehend that it’s unpleasant to bite into an _entire pepper_ when eating an omelette?”

Tim glanced up from the cutting board, saw Damian staring at him. He glanced down at what he’d been doing, before shrugging a shoulder.

“Looks fine to me, babybat.” This time, when he glanced at Damian, it was through his eye lashes, his hair. Damian huffed, leaving the bowl where he’d been whisking their eggs alone and stepping behind Tim.

“It is not difficult,” he offered, pressing up against his back, his hand sliding down Tim’s arm. He covered Tim’s fist with his own, around the handle of the knife, his other arm sliding beneath Tim’s, grasping a piece of the red pepper Tim had haphazardly chopped. Carefully, Damian guided Tim’s hand down, slicing into it, over and over again, until it had been chopped again into tiny pieces. “See?”

Damian reached for Tim’s other hand, had him hold a piece, as he guided Tim’s hand with the knife again.

“Better,” Damian whispered, leaning in, pressing a gentle kiss to Tim’s neck. Tim shivered, smiling, as Damian pressed tighter against his back, boxing him in against the counter. “Do it without my help.”

He released Tim’s hands, sliding his down Tim’s waist, slipping just under his shirt to grip at his skin above the hem of his sweatpants. Tim sliced carefully, tried not to focus on how warm Damian’s hands were, or the fact that he wanted to drop the knife and arch back against him-

That he was hungry now, but in a _different sense_.

Considering their tendencies thus far, it had been a little shocking for Tim to wake up that morning, and realize they hadn’t _done a damn thing_. He’d fallen asleep holding Damian, and he’d woken up holding him- and when Damian had given him a sleepy kiss and asked if he wanted breakfast, it felt like some sort of dream he shouldn’t be allowed to have.

“Much better,” Damian said, with another kiss to Tim’s neck. “You really are a disaster in the kitchen, though.”

“Why do you think no one ever lets me touch anything?” Tim held in the sound at the back of his throat as Damian pulled away, as he reached for the spinach he had to chop next.

“-tt- they are simply being lazy. I could teach you plenty.”

“Well, it’s a date, then.” Damian glanced up at that, and Tim was smiling at him. Damian smiled back with an ease that had Tim’s heart beating a few beats quicker-

Then, from the doorway, “A date? Where are we going?” Tim’s head snapped towards the voice, found Cassandra standing there. Her short hair was a mess, and she looked as if she had, quite literally, just rolled out of bed.

“You wanna learn your way around this kitchen too?” Tim teased, as she walked in, opening the fridge and narrowing her eyes, staring at it as if she was waiting for something to approve.

“Pass.” Tim shrugged a shoulder, glanced back at Damian, who was focusing on everything on the counter, and not their sister. “When did you come home?”

“Last night,” Tim admitted, setting the knife down and sliding the cutting board towards Damian. “I...was ready to come home.”

Cassandra nodded, pulling a water bottle from the fridge and popped it open.

“Do you want breakfast?”

She shook her head, turning and moving towards the doorway. “I’m going back to bed,” she called, before adding, “Perhaps you can convince Bruce to put Damian back on patrol. I could use a night of sleep.”

Tim snorted as she disappeared, before turning to Damian, watching him tossing the last bit of food off the cutting board into the pan. He took the last step towards him, linking his arms around Damian’s and leaning into him, resting on his shoulder.

“How about it? Feel like getting back to the streets?”

Damian grinned, eyes glancing over at Tim briefly. “Perhaps, if you are there with me. Besides,” his smile grew, “I believe we had agreed to our _first date_ already. I believe it was the two of us, avoiding the god awful holiday gathering.”

Tim grinned back, squeezing his arm. He didn’t mention that he felt giddy over the _first date_ mention, even if it was a joke. He didn’t need to- he was fairly sure, from Damian’s smile, that he felt it too.

*

“You’re back sooner than I expected.”

Tim folded his arms, staring at Bruce across the man’s desk. His study was flooded by natural light, curtains pulled wide open. Alfred’s doing, Tim was sure. No way Bruce would choose that might light- or the gorgeous view of the snow that was blanketing the grounds around the manor.

“Guess I didn’t need as much space as I thought I would.” Bruce hadn’t looked up from his laptop- and Tim was sure he was face deep in some sort of business- be it _Wayne_ or _Bat_ , he wasn’t sure. “Damian said you took him off patrol.”

“You already saw Damian?”

“Yeah...I was worried about him,” Tim admitted, shifting a little. Hoping Bruce wouldn’t look up, wouldn’t see from his eyes that there was more to it. “He doesn’t need to be shut up here to dwell on things. Patrol was a good distraction.”

“He broke a man’s arm, Tim.”

“And how many bones have _I_ broken?” Tim planted his feet more firmly, and Bruce glanced up. “Look, he’s calmed down a bit. We talked. Put him back out there, let him live a little. It’s _therapy_.”

“You two... _talked_?”

“Yeah. Believe it or not, he’s not a kid and we _can_ be civil.” Oh, Tim was very aware he wasn’t a kid- and he figured perhaps it was _more than civil_ at this point- but all things Bruce didn’t need to know. “I’ll go with him. I could use a little Gotham night air.”

“Cass and I are about to close a case,” Bruce started.

“Then tomorrow night.”

“I was hoping no one would go out tomorrow night,” Bruce said, closing his laptop. “For once maybe we’d have a holiday together, as a family.”

Any other time, and Tim would have loved that. Would have loved what it must have taken Bruce to step away from the Bat for a moment and realize that his _family_ needed him too. Any other time, and he would have agreed-

But all things considered, it wasn’t what he needed- what _Damian_ needed.

“It’ll be good for us,” Tim said, “Damian and I. Look, I promise he won’t act out. I trust him.” And there it was. There was something Tim hadn’t even said to himself, when all this started- he _trusted_ Damian, far more than he ever had. Trusted him without really questioning it.

Bruce was looking at him, as if he was trying to read the lines in his eyes. It made Tim fidget, that stare- always had. But, a moment later, Bruce was giving a reluctant sigh. “Alright.” He reached up, raked a hand back through his hair. “Alright, but only because it’s good to see you two getting along so well. At least humor me and stay for a little?”

“Okay,” Tim agreed, nodding. “I think we can manage that.”

*

“And I quote, _it’s good to see you two getting along so well_.” Tim attempted to pull his voice from his chest when he said it, sounding nothing like Bruce at all, and Damian laughed, tossing his head back. He was sitting at his desk, had left his sketch book ignored for the moment so he could turn around, look at Tim as he spoke from where he sat on Damian’s bed, behind his laptop.

Tim grinned. Couldn’t get over how pretty Damian was, when he really laughed.

“If he only knew,” Damian teased, calming down, and Tim winced.  
‘  
“Don’t even go there. Not sure he’d approve. Also not sure which one of us he’d skin- but probably me.” Damian rolled his eyes, turning his chair back to his desk and picking his pencil up again.

“I disagree,” he said, as Tim looked back at his program. “I think he could not react poorly.”

Tim snorted over that, fingers moving along his keys. “Right, like he _wouldn’t_ be pissed that I’m fucking his youngest.”

A pause, and then, “You haven’t actually _fucked_ me yet, Drake.”

Tim didn’t need to see Damian’s face to know he was smirking. He could hear it, and he wanted to bite it right off his pretty face. His fingers didn’t still, however, as he offered up, playfully, “Is that a challenge?”

Damian hummed, and Tim could hear his pencil moving along paper. It was the only response he got. Tim shook his head gently, finishing up the line he was writing before leaning back, glancing at the computer and sighing happily.

“I think it’s finally done,” he offered. He pushed his laptop off his lap, left it abandoned on the bed as he climbed off, stretching.

“Is it now?” Tim nodded, raking his hands back through his hair, as there was a knock at Damian’s door. A moment later it opened, and Alfred popped his head in.

“Master Damian, I will be retiring soon, is there anything you need?” He glanced at the desk, then back towards the bed, offering up a smile when he saw Tim standing next to it. “Master Timothy, lovely. This saves me a trip.”

Tim smiled back, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. If Alfred had questions as to why he was just casually existing in Damian’s room, he didn’t voice them. Tim appreciated that.

“Thank you Pennyworth, I’m fine.” Alfred nodded, glancing back at Tim, who shook his head.

“I’m good. Just finished up some work, actually.”

“Ah, is it that program Master Bruce has mentioned to me?” Tim nodded. “Lovely. Though I haven’t the faintest what it does. I was going to step down to the cave before I retired, would you like me to pass on the news?”

“Would you mind?”

“Certainly not. Enjoy the evening, you two.” Alfred stepped back, the door clicking shut, and Tim relaxed a little, crossing the room and leaning his arms on the back of Damian’s chair. He watched the way his hand casually flicked the pencil, how rough lines appeared on the paper, over others, slowly building actual forms. He leaned his chin onto his arms, quietly watching, until Damian paused.

“Sorry,” Tim whispered, “Does it bother you? Me watching?”

Damian sucked on his tongue for a moment, before, “No. Not you.” Tim smiled at that, leaning off the chair as Damian pushed it back a little. Tim walked around it, sliding into the small space between the chair and the desk as Damian set his pencil down, before Tim settled wordlessly onto his lap. Damian slipped a single arm around his waist, as Tim leaned over the desk, studying the drawing.

“I never really...stopped to look,” Tim admitted, “You do it from memory?”

“Sometimes,” Damian admitted. Tim glanced back at him, and Damian nodded- not needing Tim to voice his question. The older reached out, carefully lifted the sketch book, before leaning back, flipping back to the previous page. “With figures, I can. It I look at them long enough. Landscapes, though... I need to look at those.”

Tim nodded. He was staring at a mostly finished sketch of a Bluejay. Damian leaned in, placed a gentle kiss to Tim’s arm.

“He was outside my window, while I was waiting for you to tell me you were on your way home.” Tim smiled at that, flipping back another page. Some of the sketches were just lines, vague shapes that Tim could recognize, while some were nearly finished.

“Do you go back and finish them?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes I just need to create lines, even if they barely have a shape.” He tightened his arm around Tim. “It’s nice to _create_ something.”

“And not destroy it?” Damian nodded, and Tim turned, glancing at him. Smiling, softly. “I get that.” He leaned over, kissed Damian’s forehead, before turning back to the sketchbook, flipping back another page-

And pausing, fingers still gripping the page. Up to this point, all the shapes Tim had been seeing were animals, but this- this was distinctly human. A clear cut face he recognized-

_His own_.

Tim tilted his head, slightly. The details of his face were well face a sketch, his eyes defined with dark lines, each lash seeming like it curled right off the paper. He couldn’t even imagine how long Damian had spent on his irises alone. His lips held the same detail, subtle lines and shading, a hint of a smile at the very corners. His hair dissolved back into those sketch lines-

“You drew me?”

Damian glanced away, a hint of color rising on his cheeks. He nodded, once.

“It’s...amazing.” Tim wanted to run his fingers over it, trace the shape of his own jaw- but refused, was terrified of smudging a single line. “How did you-“

“I’ve looked at your face for years, Drake. It’s hard to not have it memorized.” Now Tim was blushing, and for a moment, he wanted to ask if Damian had really been _looking_ \- but kept that thought to himself.

That would mean that perhaps all of this- it wasn’t _just_ happenstance. Wasn’t just a reaction turning into possibly the best surprise of Tim’s life.

“When?”

“I was working on this when you left,” Damian admitted- and Tim remembered him at his desk. Remembered the way he had smiled when Tim had walked into the room. And suddenly his chest _hurt_.

“I’m still sorry,” Tim whispered, setting the sketch book aside. He wrapped an arm around Damian’s shoulders, leaning into him.

“I know, you’ve made a point to apologize _pointlessly_ many times.” Damian sighed, his hand splaying on Tim’s waist. “It is fine. You’re here now. You came back to me.”

Tim shivered, tilting his head up, kissing Damian, just under his jaw. “Always will,” he added, and it didn’t feel like an empty promise. He didn’t want it to be.

“You could simply never leave again,” Damian added, leaned down, finding Tim’s mouth. Tim kissed him back, tightening his arm around him, silently wishing it were true. That he could never leave this space, this little sphere that belonged to he and Damian-

Where everything was _okay_.

Tim wrapped his other arm around Damian’s neck as the teen was suddenly moving. There wasn’t even a moment of alarm as Damian stood, Tim easily held in his arms- not a moment of doubt as Tim moved his mouth to his jaw, let Damian carry him away from the desk, back across the room. He was gentle, settling Tim back onto the bed, leaning over him with his hands braced in the sheets, simply staring down at him.

Tim smiled up at him, traced his fingers along his cheek, down his jaw, his neck. “You’re staring.”

“Memorizing,” Damian corrected, eyes flicking along each stray lock of Tim’s hair in the sheets, along the curl of each eye lash. Tim felt his heart thud against his ribs, felt his stomach knotting up, and he smiled, _smiled_ so real it almost hurt, and Damian returned it. Tim saw the light all the way up in his jade eyes.

“Come back down here,” Tim whispered, “I promise I’ll let you stare all you want later. But I’m not done kissing you.”

Another smile, and Damian was crawling over Tim, leaning down and kissing him again. Tim sighed against his mouth, hands moving up, sliding over his shoulders, along his back. He nipped at Damian’s lower lip, loved the shive he knew would come- felt it, in his fingertips, as Damian kissed him harder, as Tim clutched at his shoulder blades.

Tim’s fingers stroked along the curve of it- knew that beneath Damian’s tshirt, there was a heavy scar there. And for a moment, it could have been alarming, _that he knew that already_ \- but more so, Tim simply felt the urge to strip Damian, to spend hours searching out each and every scar. Memorizing them, the way Damian wanted to memorize his face.

Tim hooked his leg around Damian, and in one fluid motion rolled them over, pinning Damian down. The younger arched up, brushed his chest against Tim, as he stared down at him, smiling.

“You’re gorgeous,” Tim offered, loved the way color flooded Damian’s cheeks. He didn’t give him a moment to retort, was leaning back down, kissing him. Damian’s mouth yielded so easily when Tim passed his tongue along his lips, slipped it inside as Damian tipped his head back, let Tim kiss him deeper with such ease it had Tim losing his breath. He rocked his hips down, against Damian, who pushed up- met the rhythm, and Tim groaned.

It was a little shocking that it had taken a full twenty four hours from his return for them to get to this point. Not that Tim was complaining- there was something so satisfying about simply laying in bed and kissing Damian, waking up with him, warm and sleepy, pressed along his every curve. Something so perfect about his easy smiles and the way it felt so _natural_ to exist like this, around him.

“Drake,” Damian breathed, his hands finding Tim’s hips, clutching tightly.

“Yeah?” Tim moved his mouth down along Damian’s chin, then his throat. Paused to suck on his skin, heard Damian nearly whine- didn’t pull away until he was sure there would be a pretty-ugly bruise.

“You’re wearing too much clothing.”

Tim paused, laughing into Damian’s neck, even as the teen tightened his hold on Tim’s hips. Tim shook with it, felt it in his core- and god, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d really _laughed_ while in bed with someone.

“ _What_?” Damian asked, feigning annoyance- poorly, at that.

“You’re so smooth, _Mr. Wayne_ ,” Tim teased, pushing himself up so he was stradling Damian. He tugged his tshirt off, tossing it off the bed, before reaching down, popping open the button of his jeans. Damian’s eyes felt like fire, burning straight into him as they raked down his chest, his abdomen, pausing at the waistband of his underwear, just visible from where Tim had unzipped his jeans.

“-tt- it worked, didn’t it?” Damian smirked, and Tim laughed, didn’t fight when Damian pulled him down, rolled them over so that, once again, Tim was pinned down against the sheets. He tipped his head back, as Damian kissed along his collar bone, sighed when that mouth inched down his chest, eyes falling shut-

Only to snap back open when Damian suddenly slid down his back, grasping his jeans and underwear and tugging, forcing them down his hips. Tim gasped as Damian, without warning, licked at the head of his half-hard cock, before taking the whole thing into his mouth, humming as he swore he felt Tim’s pulse against his tongue.

“ _Fuck_!” Tim pushed his hips up, felt his cock aching as Damian eased back, sucking gently at the head before pulling off, tongue flicking out over it. “Damian, _hell_ , maybe-“

“A little warning? What fun would that be?” He grinned, flicking his eyes up along Tim’s body. “Besides, I don’t think you are complaining.”

Tim bit at his lip. He was hard already, felt like he had gotten there in three seconds flat, and really, _he wasn’t complaining at all_. Especially when Damian cradled his cock in his hand, trailing kisses down along the underside, all the way to the base. He licked his way back up, sucked the head back into his mouth, tongue swirling around it, gathering up the precum beading there, as Tim reached down, sank his fingers into Damian’s hair and stroked, trying to remember how to breathe.

Damian’s hand tightened around Tim’s shaft, stroking half way up to meat each movement of his mouth, as he moved to something sinful, some sort of silent rhythm that Tim felt resonated from his very veins. Like Damian knew the tune of his body, knew exactly when the press his tongue to the nerves at the base of the head, just when to swallow Tim deeper, for just a moment.

“Fuck, Dami, _Dami_.” Tim could barely breathe, each ragged inhale felt like icy fire, so hard he was sure his lungs would burst. He was shaking, might have been embarrassed with anyone else over the fact that there was heat pooling at the base of his cock, in his balls, up in his belly. That if Damian kept this up, it’d be over before Tim could even appreciate that it had begun.

Damian pulled off, made a show of running his tongue over the head again, teasing Tim’s slit. There was a devious curve to his lips. “Thought about this,” Damian admitted, placing an open mouth kiss to the side of Tim’s shaft, before his hand took over the strokes- keeping Tim hovering there, in that moment where it was so much, _so good_ , where Damian could have ended him so easily-

Or held him off, if he so chose.

“You did?” Tim breathed, letting his hands fall from Damian’s hair, stroke down along his neck, his shoulders. Damian nodded, and there was color in his cheeks again.

“Ever since the first time.” His voice was almost husky, and Tim watched him squirm, press down against the mattress. “Wanted to again, ever since.” Tim groaned, dropped his head back.

“Trust me, I’m _never_ going to stop you.” Damian’s hand tightened at the base of his cock- and god, there was his tongue again, something so sinful as he lapped at Tim’s head again, lips dragging along it.

“Mmmm, really?” Tim nodded, could hear Damian’z smirk- cried out when his mouth closed around him again, and the fire was back, burning so hot in Tim that he was sure he’d melt, burn up into ash and then dissolve into nothing.

“Damian, _Damian_ , slow down,” he gasped, even as his hips pushed up, as he chased after Damian’s tongue. “I’ll-“

“ _Come_?” Damian finished, pulling off again. Tim pushed himself up on his elbows, stared down with hazy, burning blue eyes- the kind that had Damian shivering. “That’s the point.”

He leaned back in, took Tim in his mouth again, and this time all Tim offered up were wordless moans, broken curses, and Damian’s name, intermingled within the sounds as he gave in, gave up, gave it all over to the teen- _his lover_ \- as Damian moaned around him, free hand finding his bare hip, squeezing it. Tim gasped, let his hips push up, watched Damian’s eyelids flutter- and _god_ , there was something about his face in that moment, some sort of passionate joy that had Tim crying out, spilling over Damian’s tongue.

Damian swallowed without taking his mouth off Tim, refused to until Tim was going soft over his tongue- and even then, his tongue was still devious, flicking one last time against his head before he finally released him. He glanced up, licked his lips, and Tim shuddered, falling back into the pillows, dizzy.

“Come up here,” he whispered, heard Damian shifting, felt him crawling up his body. Damian leaned over him, and Tim reached up, threaded fingers through his short hair and pulled him down, kissed him _slowly_. Damian sighed against his mouth, let Tim worship his lips with movements that felt lazy but so focused, pressed his own tongue against Tim’s when it eased into his mouth. Tim shivered, moaned because Damian _tasted like him_ , and wanted to suck on his tongue until the taste was gone. Never wanted to forget the proof that Damian had _chosen_ to touch him.

Tim’s other hand pressed up towards Damian’s shoulder, on his chest. Fingers pushed at his tshirt, before Tim finally pulled back, felt Damian panting lightly against him.

“Now look who is over dressed,” he teased with a smile, one that Damian returned. He untangled from Tim, crawled from the bed and stood- made a show of tugging his shirt off over his head, letting it fall to the floor, before he reached down, worked his jeans open slowly. Tim bit at his lip, watched without trying to hide it, propping one elbow on the bed and resting his cheek in his palm. “Putting on a show for me?”

“-tt- You’d enjoy that, wouldn’t you?” Tim nodded without hesitation, smile turning into a grin.

“ _Hell yes I would_.” Damian returned the smile, hooking his thumbs in his jeans and easing them down his thighs. Tim’s eyes flicked along the perfect crease of muscle, from his hips disappeared into his black boxer briefs, to the dark skin of his thighs- finally back to the _obvious_ excitement Damian wasn’t even trying to hide. Tim bit at his lip again, as Damian stepped out of his jeans, before placing his hands on his hips, glancing at Tim’s jeans and underwear which still clung to him, at the juncture of his thighs.

Tim took the hint, laughing- and god, _god_ it still felt so good to laugh in bed-and rolled onto his back. He reached down, grasped everything and squirmed out of it, lifting his legs and managing to pull everything off- perhaps not gracefully, but from Damian’s smile he was fairly sure it didn’t matter. He sat up, tossing everything to the ground as he moved to the edge of the bed, glancing towards the foot of it. With another laugh, he grabbed for his laptop, offering it up to Damian.

“Don’t wanna break it,” he offered, as Damian took it with a roll of his eyes. He walked across the room- and no, _no_ Tim wasn’t watching the perfect sway of his hips or the curve of his ass- set the laptop on his desk, before coming back, smirking when he noticed Tim’s stare.

He slid up between Tim’s legs, let Tim rest his hands on his hips as he leaned in, placed a kiss to the hallow of his ribs. Damian’s skin was so warm, Tim was sure a hellfire burnt inside him, wanted nothing more than to burn his tongue. He inched lower, let his finger tips slide under the waist band of his underwear as he licked at his abs, felt Damian exhale, shaky- trying to hard to keep his hips from canting forward.

Tim turned, pressed his cheek against the perfect curves of muscle- and if Damian’s mouth was a sin, Tim was damn sure his abs were eternal damnation _and worth every moment_. He managed to tug Damian’s underwear down, felt his cock bob free, brushing against his chest as Damian exhaled again. Tim pulled back, glanced down with a smile as he wrapped one hand around the base, stroking up so slowly Damian’s eyes nearly rolled.

“Is this all from having me in your mouth?” he asked, watched as Damian worried the inside of his lip. He swiped his thumb over the head, spread precum part way down his shaft, before pulling his hands away entirely. Damian whined, and Tim leaned back on his hands, staring up at him.

Wicked. Eyes full of promises that had Damian’s knees going weak.

“Get back in bed.” Damian didn’t hesitate- felt like he couldn’t deny Tim’s request, which, if he was honest, sounded more like a _command_.

If he was equally honest, he’d know he liked it that way.

He stepped out of his underwear, crawling back naked onto the bed. Tim pushed him towards the pillows, watched as Damian fell, splayed on his belly, and quickly crawled onto the back of his thighs, straddling them and leaning over. He pressed a kiss to the back of his neck, as Damian squirmed, gasped when his cock rubbed into the sheets Tim smirked into the sink of his neck, opened his mouth and bit down, hard enough to have Damian bucking, gasping loudly.

He didn’t break the skin, barely left indents from his teeth, but Damian still sighed when Tim’s lips and tongue soothed the ache from the bite, as he rocked against Damian’s ass. Damian pushed back, trying to lift his hips- and Tim had to grasp at the sheets, nearly losing his balance.

He pressed his face against the back of Damian’s shoulder, laughing into his skin, freely, until Damian was huffing, a gravely _what?_ coming from him.

“You’re going to throw me off,” Tim reasoned, still laughing, “I feel like I need to make a bull riding joke or something.”

Damian snorted at that, pushing himself up slightly and looking over his shoulder. “You’re not _riding_ me, Drake.”

Tim grinned. “I _could_ be.” Damian’s eyes flashed dark for a moment, and Tim kissed his shoulder again. “Would you like that?” Damian nodded, once, and Tim climbed off him- much to Damian’s dismay- before guiding him to roll back over, onto his back. He reached out, trailed one finger down the underside of Damian’s shaft, watched the way his hips rose, chasing after more friction, _more contact_. “Or would you rather I fuck you into this bed?”

That got him an audible moan, loud and obscene, and Damian arched. Tim wrapped his hand around his erection, stroking him lazily, grinning. He didn’t need an answer beyond that. He leaned over Damian, managed to place a kiss to the bruise he’d left on his neck, before trailing down. He licked at a scar on his chest, kept his stroke lazy, felt Damian leak precum down over his knuckles, swore he felt every pulse of his blood in his hand. He left the scar, moved lower, ran his tongue over Damian’s nipple and felt his gasp, felt his back beginning to arch.

“ _Drake_ -“  
“I know, I know. I’m a tease, right?” Another flick of his tongue. “Learn a little patience, baby boy. Learn to enjoy the work up.” Damian groaned, and Tim swirled his tongue around his nipple once, before continuing down his body. He couldn’t help himself from kissing at his abs again, before he turned, mouthed at the base of his cock. He pressed his tongue flat to the hot skin, trailed all the way up, before he licked at the head, gathering the precum on his tongue, into his mouth. Damian shuddered- and when Tim opened his mouth and began easing him in, and grasped at the sheets for dear life, pushing up- forcing more of his shaft past Tim’s lips, over his tongue.

Tim exhaled through his nose, felt his mouth stretching. Damian made his jaw ache, was thicker than he was used, to, and god, Tim was _fine_ with that. He leaned over him, bracing one hand on the mattress as he got on his knees and sucked, his fist covering what little of Damian’s cock he wasn’t swallowing. Damian released his grip on the sheets with one hand in favor of holding onto Tim’s thigh, squeezing hard when Tim removed his hand and swallowed him down whole, until Damian was brushing the back of his throat and Tim’s nose was buried in dark curls, pressed against hot skin.

“ _Fuck_ , Drake, _Drake_.” Tim did it again, the movements slow, but it didn’t matter. His mouth was hot enough, wet enough, that Damian was shaking-

So when Tim pulled off completely, the whine he let out was so broken Tim almost wanted to give in, to get him off right then and there- but oh, _oh_ , he knew it’d be worth it, if Damian could wait a moment longer.

“Roll back over,” Tim said, his voice hoarse, and Damian frowned.

“But-“

“ _Roll back over_.” Damian huffed, but released his hold on Tim’s thigh and listened, rolling back onto his belly. Tim smirked, gave one thigh a squeeze, and Damian was pushing up onto his knees, as Tim straddled one leg. He reached out, ran both his hands over Damian’s ass, squeezed and dug his nails in until Damian was gasping. “You liked when I ate you out last time, baby boy.”

Damian groaned, hanging his head- and suddenly, there wasn’t a single protest left in his body. Tim smirked, squeezing his ass again before leaning down, lapping at his hole. Damian gasped again, a quiver running through his thighs, as Tim alternated between tracing along the ring of muscle and pressing his tongue damn near flat against it, licking at him until every breath Damian gave had a sound tied to it.

When Tim pushed his tongue into him, Damian cried out, reaching up and clutching at the pillows he was pressed into. “Drake, _please_.”

“Please what?” he whispered, before pressing back in, tongue making Damian’s cock throb so badly he thought he might simply _die_.

“ _Touch me_.”

Tim smirked, released his hold on Damian’s ass with one hand and reached down. He ignored his cock, chose to cradle his balls against his palm instead as he continued to lick, felt another tremble- this one full body, as Damian _whined_. Tim chuckled- gave Damian another squeeze- before finally sliding his hand around his cock. He stroked him with a firm grip as Damian pushed back, chasing his tongue now, chasing the fact that there were nerves in his body coming to life that he couldn’t even dream of.

Tim felt Damian’s cock twitch, knew how close he was from the way he was panting, was reverting back to Arabic for the little curses under his breath- or was it praise? Tim had no idea, and din’t even care- his only thought was making Damian feel as good as he could, making him fall so far into pleasure that he forgot the world existed around them.

He stroked faster, nearly losing his rhythm- and then Damian was thrusting into his hand, then back at his tongue, until he was crying out so loudly Tim was damn sure they’d wake the dead, coming over Tim’s knuckles, up on his own belly. He stroked him until he was sure Damian had nothign left for him, and even then continued to lap at him until Damian was gasping, shaking all over.

When Tim pulled back, he wiped his chin on the back of his hand, glanced down at the mess on his other. He moved off Damian’s thigh, allowed him to flop over on his back-

Made sure to catch his eyes as he licked at his knuckles, his fingers. Damian groaned- eyes rolling as Tim leaned over, dragged his hot tongue up along his navel, clearing away the cum that had splashed up on him. Tim smiled when he was done, rocking down against Damian’s thigh without thinking, and watched as his eyelids fluttered open.

“Feeling good?” Tim asked, and Damian nodded, pushing himself up slowly. Tim leaned up, kissed his jaw, as Damian turned, kissed his hair. Tim shifted, until, when Damian eased back down, he was stretched out along him, one arm tossed over his waist, his leg over Damian’s. “ _Good_.” Another kiss, this time to Damian’s cheek. “I think I could eat you out ‘til you’re screaming loud enough for the whole damn world to hear.”

Damian groaned, his arms tightening around Tim. “Careful, or I won’t stop you if you try.” Tim laughed, nuzzling in against Damian’s neck.

“ _Careful_ , or I really will fuck you into this bed.” Tim felt Damian shudder at that, and suddenly the younger man was turning, grabbing at his chin and holding him still as he kissed him. Tim groaned, rocked his hips forward, grinding against Damian, as the teen pressed his tongue into Tim’s mouth, reached down and palmed at him. Tim gasped, hips canting towards Damian’s hand.

“Please,” Damian whispered, against his mouth, “ _Please_.” Tim pulled back, stared down at Damian for a moment, unsure exactly _what_ to say.

He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of it- obviously, he’d even voiced it to Damian. But he hadn’t thought to actually _try_ , wasn’t sure if that was something Damian was into-

“Come out of your head,” Damian whispered, and god, he was too good at knowing when Tim was getting stuck in himself, in his own thoughts.

“Just... wasn’t sure that was something you’d be into.” Damian hummed, kissed the corner of Tim’s mouth, his warm plam pressing against Tim’s cheek.

“Will you?”

Tim swallowed thickly, nodded. “Uh, yeah. _Yeah_. Fucking hell...” Tim shivered, just thinking about it, before slowly untangling from Damian. “I uh, I need to get dressed, get something from my room-“

Damian rolled his eyes, flopping onto his back. “Do not bother. Top drawer, nightstand. My side of the bed.”

Tim stared at him for a moment, before he crawled over Damian, opening the nightstand and reaching inside. His fingers curled around a bottle and he pulled it out, settling back on the bed and staring at it for a moment.

“Do you-“

“ _Fuck myself_?” Damian smirked. “Yes.” Tim groaned.

“Fuck, I wasn’t sure you were into that.” Damian chuckled, reaching out for Tim and catching his wrist, tugging him down for a kiss.

“You could have _asked_.”

“Wasn’t sure how to do that, either.” Tim nipped at his lower lip, tried to keep his mind from wondering, from wondering what Damian thought of, when he had his fingers inside himself. How he liked to be laid out, how many he liked-

Another kiss, and Tim was shifting, moving down his body- spreading Damian’s thighs and settling between them.

“How are you going to be comfortable?” Tim asked, popping the bottle open. Damian reached for a pillow, propping it behind himself, shifting a little until he could clearly _see_ Tim.

“This is fine.” Tim nodded, pouring the lube onto his fingers. “I can see you, this way.”

“You know, they tease _me_ about being a voyeur, but I think you’re just as bad.” Tim set the bottle to the side, reaching his hand down and pressing his overly slick fingers tips against Damian’s hole. He was still wet from Tim’s mouth, pliant and relaxed from his orgasm- and Tim was rather glad this hadn’t come up before. Thought it’d be better to have Damian this relaxed. “You sure?”

Damian nodded, tipping his head back and exhaling slowly as Tim eased one finger into his body. He hesitated for a moment, but Damian was still relaxed, breathing evenly- if maybe a little fast- and Tim chanced working his fingers slowly back, before thrusting back in. That got him a small moan, and his free hand moved to one of Damian’s thighs, thumb stroking along a scar.

Tim had to tell himself to keep his movements slow, to keep from wanting to thrust right into Damian. He was hard again, trying to hard to ignore the ache in his own cock as he watched Damian’s face, the calm there as he let his eyes stay closed-

Until Tim pushed a second finger in. The fluttered open then, when Tim curled them, felt the bundle of nerves under his fingers tip. And god, the moan Damian gave him was unlike anything Tim had ever heard. He shuddered, squeezed Damian’s thigh, watched as he arched once, as Tim curled them again.

“Right...there...” Damian breathed out, and Tim smiled.

“I can tell, babybat.” He leaned over him, kissed a scar on his ribs as he thrust his fingers faster, as Damian tried to spread his legs more, reaching out and clutching at Tim’s back. Tim glanced up at him, met his jade eyes-

And eased a third finger in. Perhaps faster than he should have, but Damian was so _wet_ and still so relaxed, and god he groaned so loud, tossed his head back and tried to push down, against Tim’s fingers. Tim fucked him harder, felt Damian getting hard again between them- and god, he was dizzy, _so dizzy_ with need, needed to feel Damian around him, to hear those little noises he knew he could pull from him-

“Drake, _please_.” Tim glanced up, found Damian was looking at him again, his eyes dark, pupils blown. “I want you.”

Tim was pushing himself back up, pulling his fingers free. He grabbed the lube, drizzled it down onto his cock- and his hands were shaking, he realized he was trembling all over, need and desire and excitement-

And nerves, a whole slew of nerves afraid he’d fuck it up, he’d hurt Damian, he wouldn’t be _good enough_ -

He forced them all away as he set the bottle down again, wrapping his hand around himself and stroked the lube up along his shaft, over the head. When he was satisfied, he tugged at Damian’s hip with one hand, pulling him closer, his other at the base of his own cock, holding himself steady.

“You sure?” he whispered, and Damian nodded. Tim sucked on his tongue, pressed the head of his cock against Damian’s hole- and with a steadying breath, began to ease into his body. Damian moaned, as Tim gasped, had to focus to keep from driving into him, didn’t want to hurt him-

But the moment he was inside him, Damian was arching, breathing his name, _Drake_ , and Tim lost it, lost himself and pulled back, thrusting in hard. Damian let out a cry, and Tim gripped at his thighs, holding them apart as he leaned over him slightly, rocking his hips to a rhythm that seemed to be everything he’d held in, all the desire he’d felt for Damian that he’d bottle up, had been afraid to let out-

Until Damian was reaching for him, grabbing his arm and pulling him down. For a moment Tim lost his rhythm, was simply _inside_ Damian as he sprawled out on him, as Damian wrapped his arms around his his neck and shoulders, clutched at his back and kissed him, so desperately Tim forgot to breath.

One of Damian’s legs crossed over Tim’s calves, and slowly, Tim began to rock his hips again. He kissed Damian back, moaned into his mouth as their tongues pressed together, as Damian opened up in what felt like a hundred different ways for him, still clutching at him as if Tim was his world.

He breathed words against Tim’s mouth, his name and words in Arabic, little pleas mingled in as well, _please_ and _yes_ , and Tim swallowed them all down. Took them in and held them in his lungs, inside his ribs for the butterflies to feast on, as he murmured back, quiet nothings, Damian’s name and how good he was, how _perfect_ -

When Damian let out a sob, Tim wasn’t sure if it was from the pleasure, or simply the words he was saying. But he kissed his cheek as he fucked him harder, the corner of his eye- which was wet. Tim pressed his forehead to Damian’s, staring down at him as he felt Damian’s cock leaking between them.

“Damian, Dami- god, baby boy, are you close?” Damian nodded, and Tim smiled at him. “How can I get your there?”

Damian clutched at him tighter, licked his lips, before, “Fuck me like tonight is our only night together.”

Tim didn’t need him to explain, got it, got it down in the pit of his belly. He pressed his mouth to Damian’s, open and hard, his hips nearly losing their rhythm as he fucked him hard, to the point that rhythm didn’t matter as Damian pushed back against him, his cock rubbing between their bodies. Tim kissed Damian even as he groaned, as his hips bucked-

Kissed him when he felt his body seizing up, felt him clenching tightly around him, felt the hot stickiness spreading on their bellies. Damian’s moan was muffled, wordless and lost in Tim’s mouth- where it felt like it _belonged_.

When Tim pulled back from Damian’s mouth, he was gasping for breath, his cheeks wet. Tim wasn’t sure when Damian had started crying, and for a moment his hips stilled- until Damian was digging his nails into him, staring up at him with jade eyes so utterly open, it was as if Tim could see every corner of his soul.

“Drake, Drake- _Tim_ , don’t stop, please, _please_.” He pressed his face into the crook of Tim’s neck, and Tim managed to find his desperate rhythm again, chasing his own orgasm- so close, so utterly close as Damian sobbed into his skin-

And then Damian was clenching around him tightly, crying out so loud and hoarse, and Tim was gone, so utterly gone, bowing his head and groaning, hips stuttering forward and then stilling as he filled Damian. The teen stayed locked around him, until he was sure Tim was done, before he collapsed back, panting. Tim fell over him, catching himself with his hands buried in the pillows, and stared down at Damian, both panting-

Until Tim smiled, until he _laughed_ , and Damian returned the smile, laughed with him. Tim shook with it, his hair falling forward around them, and he leaned down, kissed the tip of Damian’s nose.

“You are fucking amazing,” he whispered, smile turning to a grin. Damian pushed some of Tim’s hair back, and Tim turned, kissed his wrist. He felt Damian tremble, once, and then carefully pulled from his body. Damian gave a little whine, and Tim hated the loss of contact- but relished the feeling of stretching out next to Damian, of tugging the blanket up over them and snuggling into his side. He kissed his shoulder, his collar bone, as Damian turned, let Tim tuck his head beneath his chin.

Neither said much, for a few minutes. Tim was too busy trying to steady his breathing- Damian, to keep his trembles from showing. Still, when Tim finally found his voice, he could only smile, as he whispered,

“You know, you called me Tim.” He leaned back, glanced up, caught Damian’s eyes. The teen blushed, glancing away.

“And?” Tim shrugged a shoulder.

“Nothing. Just not something you normally do...”

“Did you like it?”

“What? Hearing you say my name?” Damian nodded. “Of course. Not sure I’ve ever liked how it sounds as much as when you say it.” Tim blushed the moment he’d said it, but Damian smiled softly, leaning in and kissing his forehead. Tim smiled back, tangling their legs together.

“And you used that pet name again.”

“ _Baby boy_.” Damian shivered, shifting so that he slid down Tim’s body slightly, pressing against his chest. He closed his eyes, could hear Tim’s heartbeat.

“Don’t ever stop,” Damian breathed, and Tim stroked his spine, his other hand toying with Damian’s hair.

“I won’t,” Tim promised- and knew, it was far more than simply a name that he was promising to keep up, to never let end. Far more than a name.

*

Damian hadn’t been thrilled about Tim’s deal with Bruce, that they would remain the following night for at least a little of the family gathering. But he didn’t argue the point- and Tim was glad for that.

Tm had been forced to finally pull himself from Damian’s bed late morning, to get showered and dressed in his own room. He spent most of the day keeping busy, helping Alfred with last minute decorations- and when he wasn’t, walking Bruce through the code he had finished, the two discussing the final tweaks that needed to be made.

It kept him busy, until it was late enough for family to begin arriving. Tim was almost glad when the first call from the door as it opened was Stephanie, and when he left the kitchen, where he and Damian had both been helping Alfred to plate all the little treats he’d made, made his way towards her voice, she nearly dropped her scarf, which she had been unraveling from her neck.

“Tim!” She rushed forward, threw her arms around him, and Tim picked her up, spun them both around playfully as she squealed, kissing his cheek. “You came home!”

“Couldn’t stay away from this hell hole for very long,” Tim admitted, returning the kiss on Stephanie’s cheek.

“When did you get here? This morning?”

“About two days ago-“

“ _What_? And you didn’t tell me?” She hooked her arm in his, steering him back towards the kitchen where he’d come from. “You bastard! We have to catch up. How are the Titans? How are you feeling?”

“They’re good,” Tim offered, “and much better, honestly.”

Stephanie grinned as they walked into the kitchen. “Good! Did you take my advice? Get a little action? Is that why you’re feeling better? I know that speedster is something cute, and you and he-“

“ _Steph_ ,” Tim hissed, glanced from her towards Alfred and Damian, who had paused what they were doing. Alfred cleared his throat, and Tim caught Damian’s eye- and wondered if he’d have to explain _this_ later. “I didn’t take that part of your advice.” Or at least, he didn’t take it exactly as she had intended.

“You are no fun.” She shrugged out of her coat, and before she could do anything Alfred was crossing the kitchen, taking it from her. “Alfred, I can-“

“Nonsense. You help these boys finish up, and I’ll take care of this. And see if I can find Miss Cassandra- she should be down here as well.”

“I’ll find her,” Stephanie volunteered, rather quickly. She and Alfred left the kitchen, and Tim walked over to Damian, raking a hand back through his hair.

“Uh...do I need to explain?” Damian pushed the tray he was working on away and turned, leaning against the counter and folding his arms.

“Do you feel like you need to?”

“Just uh... look. Bart and I are friends and we... ya know. Once upon a time. And I could’ve while I was at the tower, but... well. I just kept thinking about you and I don’t want anyone _but_ you and I didn’t think it was fair to him or you and-“ Tim was cut off, breathless, and Damian laughed, leaning in and pecking his lips.

“Do not forget to breathe. And _relax_ , I did not need an explanation. I trust you. In whatever this is, I trust you.” Tim nodded, smiled softly, before turning back towards the counter, resuming the work he’d been doing before Stephanie and arrived.

By the time everyone else arrived, it had grown dark outside. Tim had given both Jason and Dick a nod in greeting- could have given them more, if he was honest. He felt _alright_ , seeing their hands laced together-

But he’d been distracted by Barbara, who had given him a tight hug when he’d bent down to greet her. Who he hadn’t seen in what felt like a thousand years.

“I heard about wonder boys one and two,” she had whispered to him, “and just remember, you have my number, if you need me.”

Tim had thanked her- but told her it was okay. Things were...okay. Would be good again, soon. He knew it.

It was good to hear everyone laughing, to hear Alfred cursing when Jason took the cookie Stephanie wanted and she actually vaulted over a chair towards him. To see Bruce amused at having the whole family together again.

Tim didn’t make it a point to avoid Dick, or Jason. And he noticed Damian didn’t either. They kept their distance, among the family, allowed themselves space to enjoy everyone else- but still, Tim stole glances at him, lost himself more than once just watching Damian, and the way he moved when he spoke, the way he held his shoulders-

More than once caught Damian staring at him, too.

It was later than Tim anticipated, when he finally reminded Bruce he and Damian needed to suit up. Bruce had frowned, but hadn’t disagreed- and Tim knew he was happy they’d stayed at all. Still, everyone seemed to feel the need to migrate through the manor, walking towards the cave entrance.

Somehow, in the movement, Tim ended up walking next to Jason. Jason, who glanced down at him, then shoved his hands into his pockets, glancing away.

“You can look at me,” Tim offered, “I won’t turn to stone.”

“Wasn’t sure if you’d... want me to.”

Tim paused, turning to face him. Jason stopped as well, glancing down at him. “I’m not mad, Jason. Not right now, not in the moment.” He offered up a smile. “Maybe I’m not totally okay yet- but trust me, I think I’ll be over you real soon.”

Jason snorted, grinning. “I almost feel like I should be offended.” Except his eyes, that pretty grey- they were nothing but relieved. Tim was glad for it- hoped he’d wake up someday soon and not even feel those tiny stings, in his belly, over what could have been.

Even as it was now, he wouldn’t trade what he had for the fantasy. Wouldn’t trade the ghost of Damian’s hands on him for the fantasy of Jason’s.

“Just...be happy, okay?” Tim reached out, rubbed Jason’s arm. “You and Dick. It’s not easy, for any of us. So be happy, and I’ll be happy in the end.”

Jason nodded, reaching out and ruffling Tim’s hair. “I can do that, babybird. If you promise to do it for yourself.” Tim nodded, might have had more to say, but he was cut off when Stephanie pointed up, giggling.

“Uh, Timmy...you and Jay are under mistletoe.” Both glanced up, and Tim blushed. Jason glanced away, and for a moment, there was an awkward silence-

Before Tim said, “Using a life line, Dick, c’mere.” He glanced over at the oldest, who hesitated, before slipping past Bruce and Cassandra, over towards them. Tim grinned, bumped his arm playfully as they switched places. “Tagging out, you take this one.” He stepped back, until he was next to Damian, watched as Dick smiled, tugging Jason in by his shirt and kissed him, one arm winding up around his neck. Jason smiled against his mouth, one hand on his waist, holding him in as he tilted his head, kissed Dick deeper.

Tim glanced at Damian, who seemed relaxed- who glanced back, a moment later, offered him a small smile. “You okay?” Tim whispered, so quietly only Damian could hear.

Damian reached over, took his hand, their fingers lacing together. “Yes.” He squeezed, and Tim smiled, squeezing back.

“Alfred, did you line this whole hallway with mistletoe?” Stephanie asked, as Dick and Jason finally broke apart, Dick laughing, breathy. She was hopping, reaching for another piece up on the ceiling, which she had absolutely no hope of ever getting.

“It is quite possible I... over committed,” Alfred admitted. Stephanie grinned, glancing up along it, before she pointed again.

“Timmy honey, it’s following you.” Tim glanced up again, and sure enough- another piece was hanging on the ceiling. This time, above he and Damian.

“It seemed like a good idea,” Alfred said, “Considering how much traffic this hallway gets.” He gave Bruce a side glance, a quiet jab at how much time any of them spent in the cave.

Tim glanced at Damian while the rest of the family was laughing over Alfred’s remark, eyes darting up to the ceiling for a moment, before back to him. Damian smiled at him, softly, and Tim laughed, leaning up and placing a kiss to his cheek. The moment he did, he heard Stephanie gasping, heard her smacking someone’s arm- whoever she was closest to-

“Never thought I’d see that.” _Dick_. Tim pulled away, glancing over at him.

“We can be civil,” he reminded him, as out of sight, Damian’s hand found his waist, pressing to it affectionately.

*

The made a quick sweep of the city’s hotspots. It felt good, to have the cold Gotham night air in his lungs again, if Tim was honest. Better to have Damian next to him as they launched off buildings- both laughing as patrol turned more into simple _fun_ , into the freedom to roam where most people could not.

It didn’t matter. The city was quiet. They watched the night crowd leaving Christmas parties, taking themselves back home, until Gotham felt as if she was sleeping around them.

Tim watched from the ledge of the building, snow crunching beneath his boots with each shift he made. There were more lights than an average night, but it was still easy to see the city was sleeping. Behind him, Damian was watching _him_ , and he knew it.

“Wanna call it?” Tim asked, turning towards him. “It’s late enough. Everyone is probably home at this point.”

“It would be fine if they weren’t,” Damian offered, “I did not need to get away as badly as I thought.” He took a step closer to Tim, reaching out- holding out his hand. Tim took it, let Damian pull him in. “But I was glad for the excuse to see you in your element.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to you being this _sweet_ ,” Tim teased, reaching up and brushing a few snowflakes from Damian’s hair. “But I like it.” Damian laughed, and Tim leaned in, kissed the corner of his mouth. “Let’s go home and warm up. I’m ready to get in bed.”

“My bed, I hope.”

Tim laughed. “Is there any other option?” Damian’s smile turned to a grin, and he wrapped his arms around Tim, lifting him up. Tim’s laughter was sharp, shattering the cold air, and he hooked his legs around Damian’s waist, hands going to his shoulders as he leaned down over him, kissed him properly, his cape covering them like a veil from the world. “Take me home, Robin,” he whispered, against his mouth, felt Damian’s smile, the press of his hands helping to hold him up. “Take me home and never let me go.”

*

The cave was utterly silent, when they returned. The Manor seemed sleepy, above them, the cars that had packed the drive at its entrance now nearly empty. The world was sleeping, except for Damian and Tim.

Tim was still working on properly storing the pieces of his suit when Damian walked past him, in just his underwear. He trailed his hand along Tim’s lower back- Tim, who was equally undressed- and offered him a playful smile.

“Shower?”

Tim forgot to care about his suit as he took Damian’s hand and followed him towards the showers. Damian leaned into one, turning the water on, as Tim pressed up against him, pressed his mouth to his collar bone, hands sliding Damian’s underwear down his hips. The teen chuckled, tangled the fingers of one hand in Tim’s hair as Tim kissed every bit of skin he could, until Damian was tugging him into the shower. Tim barely managed to get his own underwear off before Damian was sliding the glass door shut, wrapping his arms around him and tugging him in, kissing him.

The showers in the cave were small, much smaller than Damian’s. Tim couldn’t avoid being pressed against Damian, unless he were to press to one of the walls. Which, he wasn’t complaining about- especially as the water on the too hot side was warming their skin, as Damian was devouring his mouth like he’d wanted to, back on that rooftop. As Damian’s hands were roaming his back, and then his hips- before sliding back over his ass, gripping and causing Tim’s hips to push forward.

“We’re really gonna do this,” Tim breathed, holding back a laugh.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“Oh, there’s probably plenty of reasons. Not that I can really think of them right now. Not that I want to.” Tim bowed his head, licked a stream of water on Damian’s throat before sucking on the skin. Damian groaned, tipped his head back, ground his hips forward against Tim’s as a new bruise formed, beneath Tim’s mouth. Damian shuddered, and Tim felt just how hard he was getting. He nipped at the overly sensative skin- not complaining, bcause his own cock was aching now, brushing against Damian’s. “Too bad I can’t fuck you here. I still need to shove you up against a shower door.”

Another groan, and Tim was grinning, wickedly.

“I’ve thought about that,” Damian admitted, sliding his hands back to Tim’s hips, “ever since you first mentioned it.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded, and Tim reached a and between them, teased his fingers up along Damian’s cock. Damian exhaled. “I could go-“

“What? Up to your room? Hell no, you’re staying right here. There will be other showers.” Tim wrapped his hand around Damian’s shaft, squeezing. “Besides, I think I can get you off just fine as we are, baby boy.”

Damian shuddered, before he pushed at Tim, until his shoulders were pressing to the tiled wall. Tim let go of his cock, as Damian boxed him in, leaned down and found his mouth. The kiss was brutal, teeth and tongue, the kind that had Tim reaching up, clawing at Damian’s shoulders as the teen nearly rutted against him, hips rocking. Tim gasped, growled as he pushed his hips against Damian’s- the friction something on the sweet side of obscene.

“Fuck, I can get off like this,” Tim admitted, breathy, and Damian smirked.

“ _Good_.” Damian leaned in, growling as they ground together, as Tim’s nails bit at his skin. Tim gave in, let Damian take the lead this time- follow each rock of his hips, let his tongue press into his mouth when Damian kissed him. Tim’s groans dissolved into whines, little sounds as he grew closer, _closer_ , until Damian was reaching between them, grasping his cock and stroking quickly. Tim didn’t fight it, broke the kiss to tip his head back, moaning loudly as his hips jerked up and he came with a rush. Damian stroked him throat it, until Tim was leaning heavier against the wall, panting, before he reached down, took himself in hand.

He pressed his face into Tim’s neck, whined into his skin as he finished himself off in three strokes, shuddering as Tim kept his arms around him, stroking the knots of his spine. Damian relaxed, lifted his head- and Tim smiled at him, smiled and laughed, and it was a cycle, if Tim was honest. Laughing, after they’d been intimate.

He simply didn’t know any other way to release the _good_ bottled up in him, after. The sweet feeling of being wanted, the intoxicating way Damian made everything seem alright.

“We’re horrible at showers,” Tim offered, and Damian laughed as well.

“You’re saying horrible, but I would argue the opposite.” Tim grinned, kissed the corner of his mouth.

“Mhm. Still, let’s finish this up, baby boy. Keep me around you naked too long and I’m bound to get into a _cycle_.” Damian smirked over that, pulling Tim back from the wall so they were both directly under the water.

“I’m not complaining.”

Tim could only chuckle and kiss him.

By the time they were done- shortly after, if Tim was honest- he was still giggly. If anything, he was more so- laughed when Damian’s hands guided suds off his shoulders, when Damian’s mouth teased his wet hair. Laughed when Damian smiled, and maybe he was delirious, but everything just felt _right_ -

The laughter died when they slid the shower door open, and Tim saw the figure across the room, sitting against one of the other shower doors. He jerked back, for a moment, as Cassandra tilted her heads, pushed herself up off the floor.

“Cass- what are you-“ Tim started, fumbling for his words. Behind him, Damian was reaching out, grabbing one of the towels off a hook in the wall. He pressed it to Tim’s chest, protectively, and Tim took it, wrapping it around his waist, as Damian reached out for the other, mimicking Tim’s actions.

“I thought I’d come down, see if you two were back yet,” she offered, folding her arms. “Or I’d call and tell you to come home. Heard the showers and thought I’d surprise you two- until I _heard_ you.” She offered a smirk, as Tim glanced away. “Not that I’m shocked.”

“ _You’re not_?”

“Not in the slightest. You two are easy to read.” Tim stepped out of the tiny shower, Damian behind him, who was still watching Cassandra. “That little kiss nearly proved it, for me. But _this_ , well.” She shrugged a shoulder, and Tim raked his wet hair back.

“Listen, Cass...” he paused, felt Damian’s hand on the small of his back. “It just... it happened. And if you could...you know... keep it to yourself for now, that’d be great. Things have just been so crazy and-“ She held her hands up, and Tim paused, swallowing whatever words he had left.

“My lips are sealed.” Her smirked turned intoa genuine smile. “You don’t need to explain anything to me- or anyone. You two happy?” Tim nodded without thinking, and Damian offered a quiet _yes_. “Good. Then that’s all that matters.” She closed the gap, leaning up offering a kiss to Tim’s cheek. “Don’t let anyone else tell you how to be happy.”

She glanced over at Damian, offered him the same smile- the smile that read that she was happy _they_ were happy. The kind that had Damian returning it- and hating that, for a moment, he could have felt protective because of Cass-

If he was honest, he loved his sister to the ends of the earth.  
“But take my advice,” she offered, turning away from them, “and get some _sleep_.” Tim laughed over that, watched her go as Damian pressed up against his back, his arm hooking around her waist.

They did take her advice, however, dressing quickly and making their way back up to the manor. It was so quiet Tim barely dared to breathe, as he followed Damian up the stairs, through the halls to his room. Felt like the click of the door closing echoed through the whole building, through his skull-

And promptly forgot when Damian scooped him up, clutching him tightly and heading for the bed. Tim laughed, leaning back, nearly squealing as Damian tossed him onto the bed. The teen crawled over him, pinned him down and kissed his forehead, his cheek, his hair, grinning as Tim laughed, brought life to the sleeping shell of a house.

Tim grasped at Damian’s shoulders, rolled them over so they were on their sides, and grasped at the blanket, tugging it up. He snuggled in close, curled up against Damian, as Damian’s warm hands ran along his back.

“She had a point.” Tim glanced up, watched as Damian yawned, his voice coming thicker now. “Cass. About not allowing anyone to tell us how to be happy.”

Tim nodded. “She did.” He knew she did, deep down in his gut. Knew she was right, that it wouldn’t matter what anyone else said, when this finally came to light- no one else could understand how to make him happy, except himself.

Except apparently Damian.

“Do you want to tell everyone?” Tim asked, quietly, and Damian shrugged, leaning down to nuzzle against Tim’s hair.

“Eventually.” He was fading, fast, and Tim knew it. He kissed at Damian’s chest, rubbed gently along his back.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Tim whispered- because he could be ready, whenever that was. He didn’t want to hide this, whatever it was- because it made him _happy_. But he also knew the family would echo his own fears, the thoughts that this was simply a reaction, nothing more but a doomed affair that would fade, as Tim and Damian came to terms with losing Jason and Dick.

Except that Tim didn’t agree with that fear, not in that moment. Not with Damian, drifting off to sleep around him. Not knowing that when he woke up, Damian would offer him those sleepy kisses that had Tim’s heard fluttering. Not when he knew that when Damian clutched at him, it was because Tim was the world, and he couldn’t bare the thought of falling off, into the rest of eternity, without Tim.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Tim whispered, but his only response was Damian’s gentle breathing. He smiled to himself, paused to gently rub a small portion of the heavy scar on Damian’s spine. In his sleep, Damian sighed- content, comfortable- _trusting_.

There’d be time. There’d be other nights, other mornings. _There’d be time_ \- and that alone was enough to keep Tim smiling.

He wasn’t going anywhere- wasn’t going to leave this bed without Damian. If they had it their way, he knew they’d _never_ leave, and that felt like the perfect sort of end to everything.

Tim sighed, let his eyes fall shut. Quietly, into the dark around them, he whispered, “Sweet dreams, baby boy,”-

And in his sleep, Damian clutched him tighter.

**Author's Note:**

> I still want there to be a 4th fic. There might be a big of a delay though, I think I need to regroup my thoughts a bit (and of course, find the time to write it!) As always, thanks for reading and sticking with the series!


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